What the CRA rental income guide says about records
The CRA's Rental Income guide (T4036) says: "Keep detailed records of all the rental income you earn and the expenses you incur." It says purchases and operating expenses should be backed by invoices, receipts, contracts and similar documents, and warns that the CRA "may not allow all or part of your expenses if you do not have receipts or other documents to support them."
The guide also says not to send your records with your income tax return, but to keep them in case the CRA asks to see them.
This is general information, not tax or legal advice. Your situation may differ, so check the linked CRA pages (and the CRA if you are unsure) for the rules that apply to you.
How long, and where
According to the guide, "Generally, you must keep your records for six years from the end of the tax year to which they relate." The CRA's page on where to keep records says you must keep records at your place of business or your residence in Canada, and that records kept outside Canada and accessed electronically from Canada are not considered to be records kept in Canada.
That page also says some situations call for longer or shorter periods and explains how to request permission to destroy records early, so read it for your circumstances.
Rental expenses the guide describes
The guide says you can deduct reasonable expenses you incur to earn rental income, and Form T776 lists categories such as advertising, insurance, interest and bank charges, professional fees, property taxes, repairs and maintenance, utilities and wages. It says capital costs are generally claimed over several years through capital cost allowance instead, and that expenses for personal use cannot be deducted.
Which categories apply to you is a question for the guide, not this article.
How a spreadsheet can help you organise statements
Rent deposits and property costs often sit in one account among other transactions. Converting statement PDFs into rows and columns gives you a working copy you can sort and check. A spreadsheet does not replace the statements or receipts, and nothing here says it satisfies any CRA requirement.
A simple layout, with made-up figures, might look like this:
Date Description Amount Property Category
2026-04-01 Tenant rent April +1,800.00 Unit A Rent
2026-04-14 Plumbing repair inv 77 -260.00 Unit A Repairs and maintenance
2026-04-30 Insurance instalment -95.00 Unit A InsuranceA Property column lets you filter each unit, and a Category column lets you total expenses by type. A final column noting where the matching invoice or receipt is stored makes it easier to find later.
Check converted rows against the opening and closing balances before relying on totals. If you use a tool such as PDFtoRow to convert statements, keep the original PDFs as well.
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Frequently Asked Questions
It says that generally you must keep records for six years from the end of the tax year to which they relate.
The guide says not to send them with your return, but to keep them in case the CRA asks to see them later.
The guide says the CRA may not allow all or part of your expenses if you do not have receipts or other documents to support them.
Primary Evidence & Official References
- Rental Income (T4036) — canada.ca (Verified 2026-10-29). Official source documentation →
- Where to keep your records, for how long, and how to request permission to destroy them early — canada.ca (Verified 2026-10-29). Official source documentation →